"We watch intently as the body, entirely covered, is removed on a stretcher and put in the waiting ambulance. The general salutes as the ambulance passes. Some follow suit. Others, lost in prayer, deep thoughts, tears, salute in their own private way."
The story that I read about was from a Lieutenant Colonel in combat. He tells about his vivid memories while in combat and all of the injuries and deaths taking place around him. He uses all of the battle terms that are used in the war to describe how terrible the war was. He also talked about how lucky you were if you came out of the war alive or unharmed. He would see his crew members and close friends die during the war and he was very appreciative that he was never killed. The deaths of his fellow soldiers really impacted him and everyone around them. They had great respect for those who died in the war.
I thought that Lieutenant Colonel Stephen McAllister's journal entry was very sad but it was so honest and true. It was a real veteran's memory of the war. It opened my eyes to how real the war is and how scary it can be. The story also made me think about how scary it would be not knowing how much longer you would live while in the war. You really can not take any moment for granted while in the war because you could die at any moment. It was nice to see how much the soldiers cared about those who died in combat. I wasn't sure if they would just move on quickly because they had to be strong for the war, but they didn't. They were respectful to the deceased and paid their respect in their own way.
I think this entry has to do with the book, Fallen Angels because the soldiers, like Perry and Peewee, are very sensitive to deaths in the crew. They really grow to love and care about their crewmates and it really hits them hard when they die. In this entry, he talks about how respectful everyone is when someone dies in combat. The soldiers in these two stories are both loved and respected by everyone.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
CAMP MUCKAMUNGUS by Staff Sergeant Parker Gyokeres
"In average exchange I'll be speaking with an arabic translator who is speaking pidgin Turkish who is trying to tell me he needs to get in touch with a person who's name he doesn't know, but who I still need to contact, while some Parkistanis, Bangladeshis, and Filipinos are trying to steal back the knives I confiscated from them as the Koreans bring fifteen kids into their hospital for medical attention. Meanwhile, the guy in the corner is making threats against my control team because he is sick of waiting for somebody on the base and the screaming kid just stopped screaming because he puked on my weapons/contraband searcher who now wants to shoot the Korean escort for letting that sick kid loose" (Gyokeres 135).
In his journal entry, Staff Sergeant Parker Gyokeres explains everything he thinks people should know about the conditions the soldiers are living in. He goes on to talk about the privacy issues, size of their tents, the bathrooms, everyday activities, and so on with lots of detail. The way he describes everything makes it seem like the worst job ever, but in just the last line he expresses that he loves what he does.
Some of the things that were said in the journal enrty seemed too bad to be true, but I doubt that what he was saying was too far from the truth. It made me feel really bad for the soldiers who had to put up with this everyday, and made me realize how bad they had it. I was glad that at the end, despite all the negative comments about the war, he assured the reader that he enjoyed what he did.
The part of the entry that I quoted above reminded me a lot of a certain part of Sunrise Over Fallujah where Robin and his team were at a house were they suspected illegal weapons were hidden. It wasn't quite as hectic as the situation Staff Sergeant Parker Gyokeres explained, but it was pretty overwhelming for Robin to listen to the translator try to talk to the adults while they were yelling and being uncooperative, while him and his team were searching the house. This was the first time Robin had been in such a hectic situation, and he was confused at what he should be doing. After Marla found the bomb, and he had been no help he wondered if he was cut out for the job. Although Gyokeres didn't express the same kind of doubt, they were both able to recognize the chaos that came along with their job.
In his journal entry, Staff Sergeant Parker Gyokeres explains everything he thinks people should know about the conditions the soldiers are living in. He goes on to talk about the privacy issues, size of their tents, the bathrooms, everyday activities, and so on with lots of detail. The way he describes everything makes it seem like the worst job ever, but in just the last line he expresses that he loves what he does.
Some of the things that were said in the journal enrty seemed too bad to be true, but I doubt that what he was saying was too far from the truth. It made me feel really bad for the soldiers who had to put up with this everyday, and made me realize how bad they had it. I was glad that at the end, despite all the negative comments about the war, he assured the reader that he enjoyed what he did.
The part of the entry that I quoted above reminded me a lot of a certain part of Sunrise Over Fallujah where Robin and his team were at a house were they suspected illegal weapons were hidden. It wasn't quite as hectic as the situation Staff Sergeant Parker Gyokeres explained, but it was pretty overwhelming for Robin to listen to the translator try to talk to the adults while they were yelling and being uncooperative, while him and his team were searching the house. This was the first time Robin had been in such a hectic situation, and he was confused at what he should be doing. After Marla found the bomb, and he had been no help he wondered if he was cut out for the job. Although Gyokeres didn't express the same kind of doubt, they were both able to recognize the chaos that came along with their job.
Hearts and Minds
"Hearts and Minds" is an email sent by: Andrew Simkewicz to his family back in the U.S.. Andrew Simkewics was a U.S. Army Seargent who had been sent to Kabul. The quote i choose is: "It is so sad what kind of world these kids are born into." Andrew's email is telling his family about his experience in Kabul. It is mostly about all of the children he saw there. He also said the scenery was beautiful and the temperatures were very high. The poverty level is very high in Kabul, so he saw many kids alone some as young as 4 or 5 years old. But they would still smile and wave as they past by. Since they had little resources for portable water they were told not to give anything to the natives but Andrew says her gave about half of his waters to the kids they past by. One time that he threw one the boy started jumping up and down waving at his vehicle, he was no older than 7 or 8. Andrew writes to his family:"It is so sad what kind of world these kids are born into."
My response to this story is that it is very sad how some people, especially children have to live in some parts of the world compared to the United States. It was also very sad that some children would be getting so excited about something as simple as a bottle of water.
In Fallen Angels, Perry also sees many children by themselves with poor clothes and little resources. Also the things that some children would have to do during the war. Some would even die and were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. they weren't involved with the war at all.
My response to this story is that it is very sad how some people, especially children have to live in some parts of the world compared to the United States. It was also very sad that some children would be getting so excited about something as simple as a bottle of water.
In Fallen Angels, Perry also sees many children by themselves with poor clothes and little resources. Also the things that some children would have to do during the war. Some would even die and were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. they weren't involved with the war at all.
The Hurt Locker
"The Hurt Locker" is a poem written by Sergent Brian Turner. It's hard for me to pick a quote, because altogether, the poem works as a great quote. However, I will choose the quote, "Believe it when you see it. Believe it when a 12-year-old rolls a grenade into the room." Brian Turner's poem is all about the hurt and pain that soldier's go through during their time in a country fighting for their lives. For most people, these situations would be impossible to believe, and that is exactly what Brian is trying to explain in his poem. "The Hurt Locker" is a poem filled with unbelievable and unimaginable real-life situations that are seen every day by both men and woman fighting. At the end of the poem, Brian closes the poem with a single and very strong-worded sentence. " Open the hurt locker and learn how rough men come hunting for souls." In my point of view, I see this as a way for Brian to show how innocent and frightened men who come into the war are. Unfortunately, as the war moves on, these men learn how they really need to act and they become mentally prepared for what's ahead of them. In the course of the war, men become rowdy and reckless, all to hunt for others' souls.
This poem connects to Fallen Angels because the poem talks about the pain, the hurt, and the unimaginable. In Fallen Angels, Perry and his squad are clearly affected by the war. Examples are when they are wounded, when friends die, and overall, being in the war zone and being surrounded by shots and explosions. Also, "The Hurt Locker" mentions a 12-year-old rolling a grenade into a room. This connects to Fallen Angels because there a baby in the book, handed to someone innocent, and the baby's body was used as a bomb. The 12-year-old also connects to our unit because we talked about how kids were used as bait and told to stand in the road. A car driving down the road would either have to stop and be shot at or hit the kid. Unfortunately, the kid had no choice because they were most likely threatened to do what they were told.
My reaction to the poem is that war situations really are unimaginable. The war and these occurrences are not something I like to think about, but when I read things like this, I cannot imagine having to go through these times.
This poem connects to Fallen Angels because the poem talks about the pain, the hurt, and the unimaginable. In Fallen Angels, Perry and his squad are clearly affected by the war. Examples are when they are wounded, when friends die, and overall, being in the war zone and being surrounded by shots and explosions. Also, "The Hurt Locker" mentions a 12-year-old rolling a grenade into a room. This connects to Fallen Angels because there a baby in the book, handed to someone innocent, and the baby's body was used as a bomb. The 12-year-old also connects to our unit because we talked about how kids were used as bait and told to stand in the road. A car driving down the road would either have to stop and be shot at or hit the kid. Unfortunately, the kid had no choice because they were most likely threatened to do what they were told.
My reaction to the poem is that war situations really are unimaginable. The war and these occurrences are not something I like to think about, but when I read things like this, I cannot imagine having to go through these times.
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